KD Under (NO) Pressure

[BOTSLAYER]

Will KD win a ring before LBJ retires?

If not will he ever be under the same pressure that LBJ is under to win one?

LeBron James on When Title Pressure Shifts to Kevin Durant: 'When I Retire' | Bleacher Report


Article titles are misleading, they make it sound like LBJ is being a douche but if you read the whole quote and interview it is actually pretty nice. Either way, not really the point.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

That honor would go to Chris Paul.


Ah, who am I kidding.....


The Teflon All-star can spent 15 years never getting out of the 2nd round with good players and coaching surrounding him.


He will never feel any pressure.


So, I suppose that falls on KD by default once Lebron retires.

 

[trojanfan12]

I agree with Lebron up to a point. I think the pressure will eventually shift to Durant, but it will be before Lebron retires. I think we will see something similar to the Lebron/Kobe debate.


When Lebron entered the league, Kobe was widely considered the best player and the pressure was on him. As Lebron got better and Kobe got older, that pressure moved from Kobe to Lebron.


Unless Lebron retires early, I believe we will see the pressure shift to Durant as he gets better and Lebron gets older.

 

[BOTSLAYER]

Unless kd gets one in the next 2 years which i think will happen.

This year they are looking pretty good.

 

[Kold]

Boy Lebron is doing alot of talking lately. I sort of agree with his mindset but as TF12 said, this is not going to start happening after Lebron retires. He said some very nice things about KD, but man that one quote sure does come off as a tad arrogant, but I really don't have that big a problem with it. He basically said sure KD may be in contention, but he's not winning a title until I retire

 

[Jims_Doors]

Boy Lebron is doing alot of talking lately. I sort of agree with his mindset but as TF12 said, this is not going to start happening after Lebron retires. He said some very nice things about KD, but man that one quote sure does come off as a tad arrogant, but I really don't have that big a problem with it. He basically said sure KD may be in contention, but he's not winning a title until I retire

Not sure how you got that take. James isn't implying "KD (or anyone else for that matter) isn't going to win a title until I retire because I'm that good"

So far there has been zero pressure by the media or fans on KD. Nobody brings up that Durant and OKC failed when his team was favored by Vegas before the opening tip off of the 2012 Finals. There was no talk before this season if this was the year for KD an OKC. All we hear is the talk about "can James / Miami get to a 4th straight Finals and win their 3rd in a row. In this day of age, James can't say anything w/o it being put under a microscope.

Sooner or later KD will start getting pressured by the media, but he'll never feel the pressure or be under the scrutiny that James has / had endure for coming up short year after year.

 

[BOTSLAYER]

I am just going to post the quotes. The article titles this quote keeps getting is almost slanderous. Actually reading the entire quote it is actually a pretty decent quote. It almost sounds as if LBJ is defending KD and hedging KD's bets for him if the worst were to happen in that KD never wins a title.


"When I retire," James replied. "When I retire. They're still talking about, am I going to win a third? You know..."

James was smiling as he said this, a sandwich resting on his lap, his knees cooling in ice.

But he was serious.

...

"But I think, for him, obviously he's an unbelievable player," James said. "And I'm one of the guys that just don't, I don't believe that winning a championship defines your career, you know. There's so many greats that never won, and it's unfortunate that they didn't."

"But I don't know when he's gonna start hearing it," James said of his friend. "I hope he doesn't. I don't think he should have to go through that. What he's been able to do for that city of Oklahoma City, what he's been able to do for his teammates is amazing. And we'll just see what happens with it. He's going to be in contention every year because of the player that he is, and they've got a great team. And we'll see what happens."


I assume the sandwich was turkey, in a different story altogether he was eating a turkey sandwich made by his personal chef. I want a turkey sandwich. I can't have one. Right now. On monday I am going to make an amazing turkey sandwich, and a lox and cream cheese bagel. Yes, that is what I will do.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

KD has been bumped out of the playoff two years in a row with homecourt as a favorite in a series.


Westbrook injury or not, if he doesn't win the title this season, there will be pressure.


It quickly turns from up and coming phenom to "cant win it loser".


Heck, Michael Jordan played 8 years with the pressure of not being able to "win the big one".

 

[gordontrue]

The basketball gods seem to enjoy watching the new MVP fall at the hands of the three-peating champs.... and then never letting them win a title. (Karl & Chuck)

History repeating?

 

[Kold]

Not sure how you got that take. James isn't implying "KD (or anyone else for that matter) isn't going to win a title until I retire because I'm that good"

So far there has been zero pressure by the media or fans on KD. Nobody brings up that Durant and OKC failed when his team was favored by Vegas before the opening tip off of the 2012 Finals. There was no talk before this season if this was the year for KD an OKC. All we hear is the talk about "can James / Miami get to a 4th straight Finals and win their 3rd in a row. In this day of age, James can't say anything w/o it being put under a microscope.

Sooner or later KD will start getting pressured by the media, but he'll never feel the pressure or be under the scrutiny that James has / had endure for coming up short year after year.

Well, I got that take because he certainly isn't implying that KD will win a title before he retires...if he did imply that, there wouldn't be pressure on KD to win a ring after Lebron retires....but looking past that, I don't mind it at all. Any great player at the top just isn't willing to step aside for anybody(well except MJ). As for the pressure on Durant, I think the pressure would of came after last year BUT Westbrook got hurt and OKC really had no chance after that so expectations were down. As for the Finals, it was all of their first Finals and they just got beat by a veteran group that had been there before. Also after that Finals, OKC traded James Harden and after that happened it was the Lakers whom were in the limelight as the team to beat in the West if they could stay healthy, but we all know how that went. If he wins the mvp this year(pretty sure he will), and Westbrook comes back healthy, the pressure will build big time if they lose this year.

 

[RobToxin]

Will KD win a ring before LBJ retires?

If not will he ever be under the same pressure that LBJ is under to win one?

LeBron James on When Title Pressure Shifts to Kevin Durant: 'When I Retire' | Bleacher Report


Article titles are misleading, they make it sound like LBJ is being a douche but if you read the whole quote and interview it is actually pretty nice. Either way, not really the point.

Doubtful. Nobody and I mean absolutely nobody in the history of the NBA entered the league with more fanfare and more expectations before ever even playing a minute of preseason ball than LeBron James did. Not even Bird or Magic were pushed so hard with the expectations LeBron was given before he was ever even drafted.

Correct me if I am wrong here but didn't LeBron have a 90 million dollar shoe deal before he was even drafted?

LBJ will always be expected to reach greater heights than KD or anyone else for that matter. With great power comes great responsibility and all that.

It's the nature of the beast.

 

[Kold]

Also, I think there also hasn't been pressure because up until this point there hasn't been a younger heir apparent to Lebron. Jordan felt the pressure because he was seemingly next in line to Magic and Bird. Once he won, there wasn't another player that was seen as his equal, so nobody got pressure like that. He retired and nobody else was under that pressure until the whole Kobe can't win w/o Shaq deal came along. Lebron was seen as THE heir apparent to Kobe as Kobe was winning titles, so the pressure fell on him. NOW, for the first time people are putting KD on the same level as Lebron, so the pressure is on from here on in

 

[shitsho]

I never noticed MJ having any public pressure other than to repeat. He only got criticism for scoring so much which is different from people expecting him to win a title. I cant think of anyone even close to the pressure Lebron has dealt with throughout his career except maybe Shaq. You have to remember Lebron was and still is the most hyped ball player in history before he even hit the NBA. Who else dealt with that level of scrutiny and expectation from day one?

 

[Wishbone]

Malone and Stockton never won a title thanks to MJ. Lebron just isn't in the same class as Jordan though.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

Some players are just playing at the wrong time. Jordan stamped out a lot of dreams in his titles. But, the window was open for Stockton, Malone, Ewing, and Barkley. Those guys all played with great teams in 90, 94, 95, 99, 00, 01 Jordan was not even in the leagure for 5 of those seasons. It is a little too simplified to say that Jordan kept them from winning rings. A 60 win Jazz team lost in the first round when Jordan was chasing baseballs. The Jazz had the best record in the NBA in 1999, and once again lost early.

 

[thunderc]

Durant is putting more pressure on himself at this very moment than anyone could ever put on him to the point that he could feel it. I think I might have just summed up the biggest difference between these 2 great players.

 

[shitsho]

Durant is putting more pressure on himself at this very moment than anyone could ever put on him to the point that he could feel it. I think I might have just summed up the biggest difference between these 2 great players.

Disagree for one reason. Lebron lived up to his hype. In order to do that you have to put more pressure on yourself than anyone else. Its hard to hide from yourself. Its way too easy to give up because of what someone else expects of you.

 

[thunderc]

Disagree for one reason. Lebron lived up to his hype. In order to do that you have to put more pressure on yourself than anyone else. Its hard to hide from yourself. Its way too easy to give up because of what someone else expects of you.

I'm not saying Lebron didn't and doesn't put pressure on himself, I'm saying he feels the external stuff so much more than Durant ever would allow himself to. It's just a matter of the differences in how they handle things and the differences are huge.

 

[BOTSLAYER]

Durant is putting more pressure on himself at this very moment than anyone could ever put on him to the point that he could feel it. I think I might have just summed up the biggest difference between these 2 great players.

I'm not saying Lebron didn't and doesn't put pressure on himself, I'm saying he feels the external stuff so much more than Durant ever would allow himself to. It's just a matter of the differences in how they handle things and the differences are huge.

KD was drafted by the same team he plays for, he does what he is told, he dresses in a non offensive fashion, he sells his sweatshop shoes with his grandmothers name, his number is in memory of a friend and he answers questions with the cookie cutter answers that people want to hear. KD has already taken measures to ensure he never feels the pressure LBJ feels and felt before even coming close to feeling it, yet you say he would never let it bother him?

 

[thunderc]

The simple answer is it is very doubtful that there are very many situations in their lives that KD has not handled better than Lebron. It's called character.